Posts in category: General Criminal Law

Receiving a federal or state target letter in Louisiana means the government has concluded that you have substantial exposure in an ongoing criminal investigation. In many cases, that investigation has already been underway for months before the letter arrives. Federal investigators in the Eastern District of Louisiana, which covers New Orleans and the southeast, and the Middle District of Louisiana, which covers Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes, may already possess bank and financial records, phone records, email and electronic communications, evidence gathered through search warrants, sworn grand jury testimony, surveillance records, and wiretap evidence. Ignoring a target letter is not a strategy. It is a catastrophic mistake.

When investigators in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or anywhere in Louisiana ask a person to provide a voluntary statement, many people assume they are not truly under investigation. That assumption is almost always wrong. In many serious felony investigations, detectives attempt to obtain confessions, incriminating admissions, or damaging statements before any arrest is made. A voluntary statement you give today can become the centerpiece of the prosecution’s case against you in the 19th Judicial District Court tomorrow.

If police in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or anywhere in Louisiana want to talk to you about a serious crime, you are already at risk. This is not a casual conversation. It is an investigation, and you are a target. Every word you say can be used against you in court. You cannot take it back. You cannot correct it later. The right answer is no. Not without a lawyer. Not even once.

Most people make critical mistakes within the first few hours after an arrest in Louisiana. They try to explain themselves to the arresting officers. They attempt to talk their way out of the situation. They consent to searches of their phone or vehicle. They discuss the facts over recorded jail phones. They post on social media. In serious felony cases prosecuted in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and throughout Louisiana, these mistakes can permanently damage the defense and cannot be undone.

If you are under investigation or have been charged with murder in Louisiana, you are facing the most serious accusation in the criminal law. A conviction for first degree murder under La. R.S. 14:30 or second degree murder under La. R.S. 14:30.1 can mean life in prison without parole, or in some first degree cases, the death penalty. Law enforcement is already building a case against you in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or wherever the investigation is being conducted. Every decision you make right now matters.

When you or a loved one faces a vehicular homicide charge, the process can feel overwhelming.

Facing accusations related to child pornography is a terrifying experience that can change your life in an instant. The fear of harsh legal consequences, damage to your reputation, and the lasting stigma attached to these charges often creates overwhelming stress.

Facing a drug charge can feel overwhelming. Allegations of possession, distribution, manufacturing, or related offenses can carry serious fines and possible jail time.

Facing accusations of credit card fraud—often called credit card abuse—can disrupt many aspects of your life. Depending on the circumstances, criminal charges such as access device fraud under Louisiana Revised Statutes § 14:70.4 (sometimes alongside statutes like R.S. 14:67.3 or R.S. 14:67.11) may lead to penalties such as fines, restitution, probation, or imprisonment, subject to judicial discretion and the facts of the case.